


love me mercilessly.

by gengargaggle (polterheist)



Category: Hades (Video Game 2018)
Genre: Alternate Universe - Reincarnation, Alternate Universe - Soulmates, F/M, like canon. but not, murder (romantic), specifically: destined to kill or be killed by your not-gf repeatedly for all eternity
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2020-12-27
Updated: 2020-12-27
Packaged: 2021-03-11 00:21:36
Rating: Teen And Up Audiences
Warnings: Creator Chose Not To Use Archive Warnings, Graphic Depictions Of Violence
Chapters: 1
Words: 904
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/28366083
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/polterheist/pseuds/gengargaggle
Summary: funny, and actually rather touching, how something as ferocious as the human survival instinct can be quelled by the power of love.
Relationships: Megaera/Zagreus (Hades Video Game)
Comments: 1
Kudos: 30





	love me mercilessly.

**Author's Note:**

> hey orpheus play ...baby one more time by britney spears
> 
> warning for asphyxiation and also gun mention

the short and sweet of it is: zagreus is sort of fucked.

his target is dead. mission accomplished. only the building's still surrounded, all exits are barred, he's without a weapon, he can't call for backup, and he's bleeding profusely—the effects of which are exacerbated by the fact he hadn't had a chance to eat breakfast this morning. oh, and also, he's being held at gunpoint. 

all trivial inconveniences, really; ones he'd normally find some way to overcome by sheer force of will. but as it currently stands, on this _particular_ occasion... he's struggling to find the necessary motivation. it might have something to do with the fact he's madly in love with the woman aiming a firearm at the back of his head. funny, and actually rather touching, how something as ferocious as the human survival instinct can be quelled by the power of love. very moving stuff. 

"meg." how his voice comes out smooth despite the blood in his mouth and ache in his chest is beyond him, but hooray for small blessings. at least there's that. "been a while, hasn't it? you know—"

"not long enough." she cocks her gun.

"ouch. okay, difference of opinion. as i was saying—"

"i don't care."

"you won't hear the words of a dying man?"

the _click-click-click_ of heels he's grown so fond of echoes off the walls as she circles him. if megaera is surprised at the implication he's going down without a fight this time, she doesn't show it. what he receives instead is the twitch of one perfectly groomed brow, then both the cool relief and terrifying thrill of metal under his chin, tilting it upwards. 

_hah._ as if he needs to be forced to look at her. 

"you have one minute and forty-five seconds, maximum. i'm on a tight schedule. you understand."

the pitch of her voice and accent might vary every time they meet, but the way her words seem to drag over him, harsh but easy, like a whetstone, is always the same. he grins at her like he's won something, not the least bit sharper for it.

"how generous! now what was i—oh. right—" meg rolls her eyes. "i have a proposal."

"a proposal."

"mhm. as much as i enjoy our little rendezvous, i propose that we abandon this whole 'killing each other repeatedly' thing and run away together. thoughts?" 

she's still not surprised. not in the way he'd like her to be, anyway. there's no gasp, no look of shock in her eyes. but he expected as much. zagreus sighs, looking closer to defeated than he has in centuries, even given his current predicament. 

"come on, meg. you're as sick of it as i am, aren't you? consider it. you, me, a lifetime without all of... this. just one. or a few. just to try it." 

the end of her gun digs in harder beneath his chin. taking a chance, he slowly readjusts, such that he can press his lips to it—a mockery of what he'd really do, given the chance (and not a mockery of her, even if she chooses to take it that way)... if she shoots him, she shoots him. 

he's pleased when she doesn't. and maybe the slightest bit emboldened. 

"i'd treat you well, you know. better than well. swear on my lives… i'll even buy you a ring, if you want. or, say... an earring?" 

her attention drifts to a spot just to the left of his head. what she finds there sends a familiar flash of something like anger through her features, before her expression once again turns cold and withdrawn. still, she doesn't pull the trigger. just lowers her hand, and for just a brief moment, as she tucks the weapon into its holster, zagreus dares to hope.

but megaera is as headstrong as he is, and in the end, her heart is bound by duty. it's always bound by duty. probably always will be.

what he wouldn't give to free it. 

she settles herself over him, then, moving in close. and it's maybe a bit pathetic, how he practically leans into her hands as they settle around his neck, but gods, it really has been too long. 

"your time is up, zag," meg whispers, and he shivers. behind closed lids like this, it's easier to pretend he doesn't detect the sadness in it. "and you know my answer."

"mm. worth a shot."

he's tired of seeing her sad. masking it may be one of her many talents, but one of his is seeing through her when she does. he's had centuries of practice. 

he's had centuries of dying by her hand, too, and so it's without hesitation, but rather a sort of tranquil tenderness that he raises his bruised fingers to rest over hers, as if in encouragement. they're soft, despite what they're trained to do. when they tighten around his throat, as if on reflex, he opens his eyes. he supposes one benefit of their arrangement is that, more often than not, her face is the last thing he sees. even if she does look sad. 

and wanting. hungry. 

bitterly resolute. 

the conversation isn't over. he won't let it be, and they both know it. but for now, he'll give her this. and he'll allow himself to slip into darkness without protest, with a promise in his chest, and a lingering warmth against his lips. 

**Author's Note:**

> bowling for soup actually did cover ...baby one more time! it's very zagcore. 
> 
> earring lore:  
> meg jokingly gave it to him as a gift ages ago and then they started stealing it back from each other every few lifetimes as a game. eventually meg sold it because she decided love is stupid actually and she's fed up and it's long since gone out of fashion and also zagreus was really rude when he killed her last time... and then zag stumbles across it in a pawn shop 150ish years later. fate is cruel like that.


End file.
